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#DRCL midnight children #4
#DRCL midnight children 4
かつての優しい友を取り戻そうと、怪物と化しつつあるルークに立ち向かう3人の少年たち。一方、部屋で待つミナの脳裏に、車椅子の親友、ジョナサン・ハーカーの声が響き渡る。ドラキュラに会うため一人、遠く離れた東欧の地を訪ねるジョナサン。果たして、その旅の行きつく先に見るものは──!?
210 pages, Paperback
First published February 19, 2024
12 people are currently reading
263 people want to read
About the author
Shin'ichi Sakamoto
80 books269 followersSakamoto Shin'ichi (坂本眞一) is a Japanese mangaka.
He is mostly famous for his series Innocent and Innocent Rouge.
He is currently working on #DRCL midnight children based on the classic by Bram Stoker.
He is mostly famous for his series Innocent and Innocent Rouge.
He is currently working on #DRCL midnight children based on the classic by Bram Stoker.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
May 17, 2025
idk how I feel about the child Jonathan Harker being done to him what was...done to him...I was so uncomfy and had to make sure I was reading it right...but this volume felt the closest to the original Dracula so far otherwise! the lizard scene!!
April 18, 2025
huh, right… *checks*
so child-like androgynous neko Dracula wasn’t on my bingo card
*checks again*
Nope, not there.
so child-like androgynous neko Dracula wasn’t on my bingo card
*checks again*
Nope, not there.
November 27, 2025
Cat boy Dracula? Jonathan Harker looks like he’s 6. Elves and Santa Sleighs…What on earth is happening here. It’s just not good.
September 2, 2025
I thought the weirdest thing from this series was going to be the Michael Jackson flying through the sky on Santa's wolf-drawn sleigh. THEN THIS HAPPENED
We're going on a little bit of a flashback where we follow Jonathan Harker on his trip to visit Castle Dracula. In the original, this is the first thing we read. In the original, Jonathan Harker is also a grown man. Here, he looks like he's barely 13. Which makes the sexual assault by three sexy vampire ladies merged into a eldritch nightmare horror spider even worse!
Also, apparently Dracula has multiple forms and personalities. One is Michael Jackson. One is Vlad the Impaler. And one is a vegan furry femboy.
We're going on a little bit of a flashback where we follow Jonathan Harker on his trip to visit Castle Dracula. In the original, this is the first thing we read. In the original, Jonathan Harker is also a grown man. Here, he looks like he's barely 13. Which makes the sexual assault by three sexy vampire ladies merged into a eldritch nightmare horror spider even worse!
Also, apparently Dracula has multiple forms and personalities. One is Michael Jackson. One is Vlad the Impaler. And one is a vegan furry femboy.
Read
February 21, 2025Envie de noter 4/5 car toujours sublime niveau illustrations, doubles pages superbes etc et réécriture du mythe de Dracula (ici vraiment avec le voyage jusqu’à château etc) mais giga gênée par le fait que le perso soit un enfant en fauteuil roulant et les violences sexuelles qu’il subit 🫨 du coup bon voilà trigger warning ! Meme si cette série nous a déjà habitué à des scènes dérangeantes, on dirait que chaque tome essaie de surpasser les précédents, tant dans l’aspect dérangeant que dans la prouesse de dessin
Read
July 29, 2024¿Qué?
Soy incapaz de puntuar este tomo. Y no sé si quiero seguir leyendo o no.
Soy incapaz de puntuar este tomo. Y no sé si quiero seguir leyendo o no.
February 9, 2025
Un volumen entero para Jonathan y su viaje a Transilvania 🩸🩸
October 18, 2024
Visionario. Un bene? Un male? Non lo so ancora. Incrociamo le dita.
Read
February 9, 2025Pas la collab André Gide x Sakamoto ⚰️
June 24, 2025
oh SEIGNEUR
January 25, 2026
Joy leading to misery, and misery leading back to joy.
3 stars, maybe 3.25. This manga continues to get weirder and weirder, and this volume went completely off the rails. Or maybe it came back on the rails a bit; I had honestly forgotten about the existence of Jonathan Harker, and so I suppose it was about time that we got a glimpse of what he's up to in this version of the story. The trip to Transylvania was... something. I really was not expecting him to be a teenager who looks like a cherubic child, and I don't know how much I liked it. Especially given some of the extremely disturbing imagery we're given. I'm not sure if this is took place in the past, or some alternate timeline or what, but we also see different versions of Dracula, not the regular ("regular") Michael Jackson looking dude. And the brides? Oh my god.
Yeah, once again, I just don't know what to make of this. The art is so uniquely good and transfixing, but the plot... I'm so lost. I did enjoy the fable-esque quality to this one, the retelling of Dracula's past, and the horror was dialled up to 11. But not gonna lie, I just kinda want to get back to Mina and Lucy and the rest of the gang. So hopefully we'll do that next volume.
December 26, 2024
Ich weiß schon wieder nicht so recht, wo ich anfangen soll. DRCL hat es mal wieder in Rekordzeit geschafft, mich mit seiner Genialität in den Bann zu ziehen. Sobald man einmal drin ist - und das dauert, wie schon erwähnt nicht lang - kann man gar nicht genug bekommen, und das, obwohl hier "nur" die Vorgeschichte erzählt wird. Das kommt zum einen durch den wirklich genialen Stil, welcher, wie ich finde, einfach perfekt passt, wunderschön aussieht und den Vibe nicht besser einfangen könnte. Zudem finde ich das Charakterdesign, bis auf eine Ausnahme, wieder super gelungen. Mein einziger wirklicher Kritikpunkt wären hierbei die Katzenohren vom Grafen.Ich verstehe, dass es sich hierbei noch um einen Manga handelt, aber wer zum heiligen Gabriel hat denn bei so einer tollen und ernsthaften Geschichte Katzenohren bei Dracula (zumindest in der Gestalt, in der er aufgetreten ist) nötig gehabt? Aber um fair zu bleiben,es fällt nicht sonderlich auf und spielt im weiteren Verlauf der Story voraussichtlich eh keine Rolle mehr.
Auch, wie bei den anderen Büchern, ist die Story hier einfach wirklich klasse und spannend erzählt. Zwar ist sie diesmal etwas langsamer erzählt, das tut dem Buch jedoch keinen Abbruch. Erwähnenswert wäre auch noch, dass das Buch einfach verdammt genial aussieht. Nicht nur das wunderschöne Cover, sondern auch der abgenutzte Look und die in Blutrot glänzende Schrift. Keine Frage, DRCL ist ein Meisterwerk, und ich könnte nicht gespannter auf Teil 5 sein.
Zum Abschluss möchte ich mich nochmal inständig bei Nine bedanken, welche mir das Buch geschenkt hat.❤️
Auch, wie bei den anderen Büchern, ist die Story hier einfach wirklich klasse und spannend erzählt. Zwar ist sie diesmal etwas langsamer erzählt, das tut dem Buch jedoch keinen Abbruch. Erwähnenswert wäre auch noch, dass das Buch einfach verdammt genial aussieht. Nicht nur das wunderschöne Cover, sondern auch der abgenutzte Look und die in Blutrot glänzende Schrift. Keine Frage, DRCL ist ein Meisterwerk, und ich könnte nicht gespannter auf Teil 5 sein.
Zum Abschluss möchte ich mich nochmal inständig bei Nine bedanken, welche mir das Buch geschenkt hat.❤️
July 11, 2025
Jonathan Harker's journey to meet Count Dracula.
I'm guessing the beautiful artwork and individualistic take on Dracula might stop me thinking about the things being done to/by children in this Volume.
I'm guessing the beautiful artwork and individualistic take on Dracula might stop me thinking about the things being done to/by children in this Volume.
February 5, 2026
Dracula as a catgirl? .. Why not I guess
Again, I won't rate this below three stars because the illustrations are absolutely amazing. But I won't rate it higher than that either, because the dialogue does not flow and sometimes does not even make sense and because the pacing of the story is off.
Again, I won't rate this below three stars because the illustrations are absolutely amazing. But I won't rate it higher than that either, because the dialogue does not flow and sometimes does not even make sense and because the pacing of the story is off.
August 5, 2025
manga is for reimagining dracula as a goth, loli femboy with a squad of vampy drag queens
September 4, 2025
Un tome qui suit Jonathan Harker cette fois-ci, l'ami de Mina, dans son voyage en Transylvanie. C'est toujours aussi sombre, fou, dérangé, le personnage de Dracula prend une profondeur inattendue, je suis vraiment curieuse de lire la suite !
October 23, 2024
Il quarto volume di questa serie strepitosa è forse il più tradizionale, nel suo desiderio di tornare indietro nel tempo e raccontare del viaggio di Jonathan Harker in Transilvania, come ospite del fantomatico Dracula.
In questa versione, Jonathan è un giovanissimo avvocato, costretto sulla sedia a rotelle dopo un terribile incidente e desideroso di dimostrare di poter portare a termine qualsiasi incarico, nonostante la sua disabilità. Si precipita dunque in Transilvania, dove la realtà comincia a perdere di sostanza, lasciando spazio a un’oscurità che lo segue, tenendosi a debita distanza da lui.
Il primo incontro con Dracula, che qui ha le sembianze di una bambina con le orecchie da gatto o da lupo, è straniante, a tratti confortante.
Il Conte è stato capace di mostrarsi nella forma più congeniale a Jonathan, permettendogli di abituarsi gradualmente all’atmosfera cupa del castello.
Ma il ragazzo percepisce fin da subito che qualcosa non va.
Comincia il suo incubo, la prigionia alla quale Dracula lo costringe, tra visioni cruente e sensuali, sospeso tra la vita e la morte.
Vediamo il vero volto del Conte, il suo conflitto interiore, la sete di sangue che gli sottrae l’umanità e lo rende un predatore a tutti gli effetti.
Se ve lo state chiedendo, sì, le tavole si questo quarto capitolo sono altrettanto strepitose.
Io ho bisogno del quinto volume.
In questa versione, Jonathan è un giovanissimo avvocato, costretto sulla sedia a rotelle dopo un terribile incidente e desideroso di dimostrare di poter portare a termine qualsiasi incarico, nonostante la sua disabilità. Si precipita dunque in Transilvania, dove la realtà comincia a perdere di sostanza, lasciando spazio a un’oscurità che lo segue, tenendosi a debita distanza da lui.
Il primo incontro con Dracula, che qui ha le sembianze di una bambina con le orecchie da gatto o da lupo, è straniante, a tratti confortante.
Il Conte è stato capace di mostrarsi nella forma più congeniale a Jonathan, permettendogli di abituarsi gradualmente all’atmosfera cupa del castello.
Ma il ragazzo percepisce fin da subito che qualcosa non va.
Comincia il suo incubo, la prigionia alla quale Dracula lo costringe, tra visioni cruente e sensuali, sospeso tra la vita e la morte.
Vediamo il vero volto del Conte, il suo conflitto interiore, la sete di sangue che gli sottrae l’umanità e lo rende un predatore a tutti gli effetti.
Se ve lo state chiedendo, sì, le tavole si questo quarto capitolo sono altrettanto strepitose.
Io ho bisogno del quinto volume.
May 25, 2025
WHAT
THE
FUCK
SHINICHI?!?;?;!;!
THE
FUCK
SHINICHI?!?;?;!;!
September 16, 2024
Cuarto volumen de la este manga, homenaje al Drácula de Bram Stoker pero contando otra nueva historia.
En este tomo se nos presenta al Conde. Y como era de esperar en una nueva y muy personal visión.
El dibujo sigue quitando el hipo. La llegada de Harker al castillo, con los fuegos fatuos y el recorrido en carroza…es de una gran belleza.
En este tomo se nos presenta al Conde. Y como era de esperar en una nueva y muy personal visión.
El dibujo sigue quitando el hipo. La llegada de Harker al castillo, con los fuegos fatuos y el recorrido en carroza…es de una gran belleza.
September 29, 2024
Disegni che sono pura arte di carta. Sebbene sia sempre poco credile o debole in certe situazione l'età anagrafica dei personaggi, in questo volume si percepisce di meno. Molto perturbante l'adattamento degli eventi.
March 25, 2025
CW: blood, violence, child death (graphic), spider, fire, ableism, body horror, gore, sexual content involving a child, sexual assault
1. 12th century castles are not ADA compliant
2. Cat Girl Dracula™
1. 12th century castles are not ADA compliant
2. Cat Girl Dracula™
August 31, 2024
Lo que esperaba que fuera este manga desde el principio. Y más. Incluida la Drácula lolita/maidendeAkihabara/furra.
February 16, 2025
Délaissant pour un tome la Whitby School pour la Transylvanie, Sakamoto nous propose un retour retentissant au creuset de son oeuvre et c’est fantastiquement morbide et glaçant !
Le temps d’un tome, ce ne sont plus nos Midnight Children les vedettes, mais l’amie de Whilemina, le jeune Jonathan Harker, que tous les connaisseurs de l’oeuvre d’origine auront reconnu sous cette nouvelle incarnation fantasque donnée par l’auteur. Avec lui, nous nous rendons à la rencontre du célèbre monstre à l’origine de tout : le comte Dracula. Et on peut dire que l’auteur joue bien avec le mythe, prenant des éléments phares de la personnalité derrière la légende et ajoutant ses propres ingrédients pour pimenter la chose. C’est aussi fascinant que glaçant comme toujours avec lui !
Nous faisons ainsi un vrai retour aux sources du fantastique avec une narration pleine d’emphase qui joue avec l’espace temps et perd aussi bien son nouveau narrateur que nous dans les méandres de l’esprit et du château de ce nouveau Dracula qu’on découvre dans la peau d’une sorte d’enfant-renard. Mélange de fantastique européen et de fantastique japonais, l’auteur joue avec les codes et les images. Il agrémente ses fantastiques planches de tout un tas de petits éléments savoureux, venant perturber et glacer peu à peu le lecteur, au fur et à mesure qu’il tombe lui aussi dans le piège tendu par le comte. C’est extrêmement bien joué.
Nous vivons ce périple aux côtés d’un Jonathan handicapé – bravo pour l’inclusion, ce n’était pas gagné – comme si nous y étions. La description de la Transylvanie et ses habitants est fidèle au canon de l’oeuvre et l’auteur y ajoute la dimension historique qu’il manque parfois, avec cette guerre passée contre les Turcs et le rôle que le vrai personnage historique y a joué. Excellent ! (pour les amateurs, il y a eu une excellente Grande Traversée qui lui fut consacrée sur France Culture. On y apprend plein de choses !) Les paysages, les ambiances, tout y est pénétrant et dérangeant, sombre et terreux. Mais Sakamoto y ajoute en plus sa touche d’exubérance ! Tout comme il modifie les caractéristiques des personnages clés, il ajoute aussi sa touche de folie dérangeante, à l’image de ces trois succubes et d’une scène tout droit écrite en écho à certaines d’Innocent, l’autre manga phare de l’auteur, ou de l’apparence animalesque qu’il donne au comte et à sa drôle d’histoire. On adore !
Tome de retour au ressource, qui raconte l’histoire avant l’histoire qu’on connaît, il nous fait rencontre la singulière figure du Comte sous la plume de Sakamoto à l’aide du narrateur si connu de l’oeuvre de Stocker. Mais rien ne se passe comme prévu et Sakamoto joue à merveille avec le canon de l’oeuvre, gardant ce qui l’intéresse et apportant sa touche d’exubérance follement dérangeante et grandiloquente, qui le rend si unique. Ce n’est pas tout le monde qui parvient à s’approprier ainsi une oeuvre de notre patrimoine !
Article complet : https://lesblablasdetachan.wordpress....
Le temps d’un tome, ce ne sont plus nos Midnight Children les vedettes, mais l’amie de Whilemina, le jeune Jonathan Harker, que tous les connaisseurs de l’oeuvre d’origine auront reconnu sous cette nouvelle incarnation fantasque donnée par l’auteur. Avec lui, nous nous rendons à la rencontre du célèbre monstre à l’origine de tout : le comte Dracula. Et on peut dire que l’auteur joue bien avec le mythe, prenant des éléments phares de la personnalité derrière la légende et ajoutant ses propres ingrédients pour pimenter la chose. C’est aussi fascinant que glaçant comme toujours avec lui !
Nous faisons ainsi un vrai retour aux sources du fantastique avec une narration pleine d’emphase qui joue avec l’espace temps et perd aussi bien son nouveau narrateur que nous dans les méandres de l’esprit et du château de ce nouveau Dracula qu’on découvre dans la peau d’une sorte d’enfant-renard. Mélange de fantastique européen et de fantastique japonais, l’auteur joue avec les codes et les images. Il agrémente ses fantastiques planches de tout un tas de petits éléments savoureux, venant perturber et glacer peu à peu le lecteur, au fur et à mesure qu’il tombe lui aussi dans le piège tendu par le comte. C’est extrêmement bien joué.
Nous vivons ce périple aux côtés d’un Jonathan handicapé – bravo pour l’inclusion, ce n’était pas gagné – comme si nous y étions. La description de la Transylvanie et ses habitants est fidèle au canon de l’oeuvre et l’auteur y ajoute la dimension historique qu’il manque parfois, avec cette guerre passée contre les Turcs et le rôle que le vrai personnage historique y a joué. Excellent ! (pour les amateurs, il y a eu une excellente Grande Traversée qui lui fut consacrée sur France Culture. On y apprend plein de choses !) Les paysages, les ambiances, tout y est pénétrant et dérangeant, sombre et terreux. Mais Sakamoto y ajoute en plus sa touche d’exubérance ! Tout comme il modifie les caractéristiques des personnages clés, il ajoute aussi sa touche de folie dérangeante, à l’image de ces trois succubes et d’une scène tout droit écrite en écho à certaines d’Innocent, l’autre manga phare de l’auteur, ou de l’apparence animalesque qu’il donne au comte et à sa drôle d’histoire. On adore !
Tome de retour au ressource, qui raconte l’histoire avant l’histoire qu’on connaît, il nous fait rencontre la singulière figure du Comte sous la plume de Sakamoto à l’aide du narrateur si connu de l’oeuvre de Stocker. Mais rien ne se passe comme prévu et Sakamoto joue à merveille avec le canon de l’oeuvre, gardant ce qui l’intéresse et apportant sa touche d’exubérance follement dérangeante et grandiloquente, qui le rend si unique. Ce n’est pas tout le monde qui parvient à s’approprier ainsi une oeuvre de notre patrimoine !
Article complet : https://lesblablasdetachan.wordpress....
January 22, 2026
Okay, so I need to take back what I said in previous reviews. Jonathan Harker is (was?) a character in this story. He is Mina's friend and also an orphan (although he might've been fostered by Count Hawkins?).
-I like that they used/sort of used Jonathan Harker's journal entries from Stoker's Dracula
-Jonathan seems like a good guy and friend, which makes certain events even worse.
-Representation for those who use wheelchairs.
-Gives us the background of how Dracula came to England.
-
The Bad/What confuses me
-It's been a while since I read the other volumes, but I thought Jonathan was already in a wheelchair when he was at the orphanage with Mina. Was he at the fancy French-sounding school (I'm too lazy to look it up) then got adopted by Count Hawkins, his legs trampled by horses, and then put back into an orphanage?
-Is there a narrative reason for having a character in a wheelchair? I'm not saying it's bad, but that it seems like it causes more problems than necessary for the plot (such as entering the castle "freely and of [his] own will").
-Everybody has been invited to attend the Whitby school. Apparently, Jonathan's entry (and Mina's) was conditional on him succeeding to going to Transylvania as a lawyer and getting Dracula's signature. First, he looks like he is 12! This is a child! It is even said he is/is referred to as a child by others. And there is no adult that can travel with him? Secondly, why is this school lying to children to have them attend only to recend the offer (first, Mina. now, Jonathan)?
-Dracula is...not Michael Jackson but a catboy? A catboy with different sides that are fighting for control? And who wants to attend Whitby as a student alongside Jonathan?
-TW: SA
WHY THE H*LL DID THEY THINK IT WAS OK TO HAVE THE 3 BRIDES UNDRESS AND SEXUALLY ASSULT A MINOR WHILE HE IS ASLEEP?!?!?!?! I looked up the actual passage in Stoker's Dracula, and it had no mentions of groping (kisses, yes, but no mention of "exploring skin" with tongue) or going lower than the throat.
-So...Radu is the Michael Jackson pretty guy, the catboy is what happens if the vampire does drink blood, and the historical Vlad Dracul are all mixed together in one body?
-Why are there apparitions of Mina? Is she astral projecting?
-Is Jonathan going to be the new Lucy where everyone is in love with him and must protect him?
-I like that they used/sort of used Jonathan Harker's journal entries from Stoker's Dracula
-Jonathan seems like a good guy and friend, which makes certain events even worse.
-Representation for those who use wheelchairs.
-Gives us the background of how Dracula came to England.
-
The Bad/What confuses me
-It's been a while since I read the other volumes, but I thought Jonathan was already in a wheelchair when he was at the orphanage with Mina. Was he at the fancy French-sounding school (I'm too lazy to look it up) then got adopted by Count Hawkins, his legs trampled by horses, and then put back into an orphanage?
-Is there a narrative reason for having a character in a wheelchair? I'm not saying it's bad, but that it seems like it causes more problems than necessary for the plot (such as entering the castle "freely and of [his] own will").
-Everybody has been invited to attend the Whitby school. Apparently, Jonathan's entry (and Mina's) was conditional on him succeeding to going to Transylvania as a lawyer and getting Dracula's signature. First, he looks like he is 12! This is a child! It is even said he is/is referred to as a child by others. And there is no adult that can travel with him? Secondly, why is this school lying to children to have them attend only to recend the offer (first, Mina. now, Jonathan)?
-Dracula is...not Michael Jackson but a catboy? A catboy with different sides that are fighting for control? And who wants to attend Whitby as a student alongside Jonathan?
-TW: SA
WHY THE H*LL DID THEY THINK IT WAS OK TO HAVE THE 3 BRIDES UNDRESS AND SEXUALLY ASSULT A MINOR WHILE HE IS ASLEEP?!?!?!?! I looked up the actual passage in Stoker's Dracula, and it had no mentions of groping (kisses, yes, but no mention of "exploring skin" with tongue) or going lower than the throat.
-So...Radu is the Michael Jackson pretty guy, the catboy is what happens if the vampire does drink blood, and the historical Vlad Dracul are all mixed together in one body?
-Why are there apparitions of Mina? Is she astral projecting?
-Is Jonathan going to be the new Lucy where everyone is in love with him and must protect him?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2025
So Count Dracula has his Vlad the impaler form, his Michael Jackson form and now his Neko mimi child form… okay 🧍♀️
As always, the art throughout this volume is stunning, the best I’ve seen from Sakamoto. I also loved the ‘storybook’ style illustrations and presentation that happens later during the volume (but it’s me, of course I would like this section 😅). There’s another scene where scissors are being used against another character and the foreshortening is fantastic, it really felt 3 dimensional! 😭 I really liked the ‘jumpscare’ that happens halfway through the volume when Dracula appears after Jonathan pricks the skin on his neck. I thought the use of the mirror here was quite clever and I really enjoyed it. I liked the use of the coffin shape in this volume too but I just wish Sakamoto had faith in his readers that they would pick up on what was a great, if a little on the nose, bit of imagery.
I’m also very happy to see this volume being mostly faithful to the original text, with large sections of the original book being placed in here and illustrated. I struggled to picture Dracula crawling along the castle wall when I read the original so seeing Sakamoto’s interpretation was great. If the last 3 volumes had been like this one, I would have been over the moon with this adaption. I also think it’s very impressive that Sakamoto has managed to fit the first 3rd of Dracula into just over 200 pages of manga. (It’s quite scary actually 😳)
However, upon starting this volume and seeing that, for some reason, Jonathan Harker had been aged down I was a little worried and rightfully so. There are some awful things that happen to the character in the novel during his time in Dracula’s castle and it’s made all the more uncomfortable with this younger version of Jonathan. I get that if he is to come back to England then he would have to be at school with the rest of the cast but did he really have to be quite so young? So now we have a child solicitor like… Huh?? A very odd and weird choice in my opinion.
I’m looking forward to getting the next volume but the reason is mainly for how absurd the cover is.
As always, the art throughout this volume is stunning, the best I’ve seen from Sakamoto. I also loved the ‘storybook’ style illustrations and presentation that happens later during the volume (but it’s me, of course I would like this section 😅). There’s another scene where scissors are being used against another character and the foreshortening is fantastic, it really felt 3 dimensional! 😭 I really liked the ‘jumpscare’ that happens halfway through the volume when Dracula appears after Jonathan pricks the skin on his neck. I thought the use of the mirror here was quite clever and I really enjoyed it. I liked the use of the coffin shape in this volume too but I just wish Sakamoto had faith in his readers that they would pick up on what was a great, if a little on the nose, bit of imagery.
I’m also very happy to see this volume being mostly faithful to the original text, with large sections of the original book being placed in here and illustrated. I struggled to picture Dracula crawling along the castle wall when I read the original so seeing Sakamoto’s interpretation was great. If the last 3 volumes had been like this one, I would have been over the moon with this adaption. I also think it’s very impressive that Sakamoto has managed to fit the first 3rd of Dracula into just over 200 pages of manga. (It’s quite scary actually 😳)
However, upon starting this volume and seeing that, for some reason, Jonathan Harker had been aged down I was a little worried and rightfully so. There are some awful things that happen to the character in the novel during his time in Dracula’s castle and it’s made all the more uncomfortable with this younger version of Jonathan. I get that if he is to come back to England then he would have to be at school with the rest of the cast but did he really have to be quite so young? So now we have a child solicitor like… Huh?? A very odd and weird choice in my opinion.
I’m looking forward to getting the next volume but the reason is mainly for how absurd the cover is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2024
Questo intero volume non riprende il finale del volume precedente ma anzi è tutto interamente incentrato sul flashback che ha come protagonista Jonathan Harker, amico di Mina e del suo viaggio in Transilvania verso il castello del conte Dracula. Questo viaggio dà la possibilità di esplorare un nuovo personaggio, il suo passato triste, infatti orfano e poi costretto su una sedia a rotelle; e il suo carattere determinato: non è da tutti intraprendere un viaggio così lungo verso l'Europa orientale con un handicap del genere. Grazie a Jonathan e al suo soggiorno nel castello, il lettore intravede uno scorcio di come vive il conte e anche da che creature è abitato il castello: impossibile non citare le tre vampire diventate iconiche anche nell'opera originale; senza contare la storia di Vlad l'Impalatore raccontata proprio dal suo protagonista ad un ingenuo Jonathan.
I continui rimandi all'opera originale non mi fanno che amare ancora di più questa trasposizione, sempre così ricca di dettagli e dai disegni così reali che trasmettono proprio quello spirito gotico di cui Dracula ne è il capostipite.
I continui rimandi all'opera originale non mi fanno che amare ancora di più questa trasposizione, sempre così ricca di dettagli e dai disegni così reali che trasmettono proprio quello spirito gotico di cui Dracula ne è il capostipite.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2025
Well. I feel icky now. And the cover of the next volume...uggghh.
This is not a complaint about it being a retelling. I have...enjoyed seems like the wrong descriptor here because it's all so unsettling, but enjoyed it will be...the story this far. But. JH as a child solicitor? I couldn't buy it. And then what happens...I wouldn't choose to read any book with that content. It is definitely horror. And definitely unsettling. Thank God for roses. And also... don't know that I'll look at roses the same. Ever.
Drag queen brides is an interesting take, though. Fascinating character designs. And little Dracula's ears are so fluffy. I want to pet them. I thought cat at first, but it's likely more like wolf, given Dracula's adoration for the children of the night.
But...
This is not a complaint about it being a retelling. I have...enjoyed seems like the wrong descriptor here because it's all so unsettling, but enjoyed it will be...the story this far. But. JH as a child solicitor? I couldn't buy it. And then what happens...I wouldn't choose to read any book with that content. It is definitely horror. And definitely unsettling. Thank God for roses. And also... don't know that I'll look at roses the same. Ever.
Drag queen brides is an interesting take, though. Fascinating character designs. And little Dracula's ears are so fluffy. I want to pet them. I thought cat at first, but it's likely more like wolf, given Dracula's adoration for the children of the night.
But...
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December 25, 2024It's been a while since I read this volume for the first time, it's also been a few days since read it for the second time, and I'm still gathering my thoughts.
In theory, the idea that Dracula's love/desire transforms people in more way than one is interesting (and the jokes that this is a manga about the Count transing Britain's youth are funny), but in execution in becomes painfully clear that this is a story written by a cis man who's probably not completely aware of all the loaded implications he's touching upon. In result, certain developments, especially the scene of Dracula's brides sexually assaulting Jonathan, become more discomfiting than they'd be through their horror aspect alone.
What Sakamoto understands very well, though, is the appeal of lurid, sensual Gothic horror. He excels at creating a lingering sense of unease and dread and mixing it with the erotic. And that's exactly why DRCL is one of my favorite ongoing manga, warts and all.
In theory, the idea that Dracula's love/desire transforms people in more way than one is interesting (and the jokes that this is a manga about the Count transing Britain's youth are funny), but in execution in becomes painfully clear that this is a story written by a cis man who's probably not completely aware of all the loaded implications he's touching upon. In result, certain developments, especially the scene of Dracula's brides sexually assaulting Jonathan, become more discomfiting than they'd be through their horror aspect alone.
What Sakamoto understands very well, though, is the appeal of lurid, sensual Gothic horror. He excels at creating a lingering sense of unease and dread and mixing it with the erotic. And that's exactly why DRCL is one of my favorite ongoing manga, warts and all.
February 27, 2025
Abu*o su minori da parte delle tre spose di Dracula che in realtà sono uomini, Jonathan Harker che diventa protagonista del racconto The Phantom Coach di Amelia B. Edwards, un Dracula bambino con le orecchie da lupo che mangia melograno per non far del male al suo popolo e con una specie di doppia personalità cattiva, che alla fine del volume prevale sulla parte "buona" (che tanto buona comunque non era), un fantomatico fratello di Dracula e il sentore che il prossimo ad essere vampirizzato sia proprio Jonathan. Ho dimenticato qualcosa? Ah sì, una piccola gioia: in questo volume niente Dracula/Michael Jackson, evviva!
Questo manga sta diventando sempre di più un pot-pourri, sempre più distante dal Dracula di Stoker e sempre più un susseguirsi di wtf.
Ormai lo continuo solo per vedere dove andrà a parare alla fine.
Disegni stupendi certamente, ma un buon manga non si può basare solo su quelli.
★★.5
Questo manga sta diventando sempre di più un pot-pourri, sempre più distante dal Dracula di Stoker e sempre più un susseguirsi di wtf.
Ormai lo continuo solo per vedere dove andrà a parare alla fine.
Disegni stupendi certamente, ma un buon manga non si può basare solo su quelli.
★★.5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2025
Bon on retombe dans ce qui m'avait usée dans Innocent...Je fatigue un peu de voir des violences sexuelles sur les enfants cher Shin'ichi, même si elles sont dénoncées. D'un autre côté le viol est (à mon sens) déjà présent dans le roman, donc comme Sakamoto a rajeunit tout le monde, c'est totalement "sensé".
J'accroche pas des masses à Neko-kun Dracula non plus, l'idée de lui faire prendre une apparence d'enfant ok mais les oreilles...pourquoi??
Et enfin, je trouve qu'à force d'être indirect, de faire dire des mensonges aux personnages, de garder des révélations "pour plus tard", ça devient juste confus. Et si c'est confus, ça a un impact sur mon implication émotionnelle (par exemple : je ne comprend pas les dernières pages. Donc je ressens rien à la fin alors qu'il a mis le paquet pour que ça marque).
Bon malgré tout ce que je viens de dire, j'ai envie de faire confiance et de me laisser porter. Le dessin est toujours très unique et maitrisé, et les ambiances sont au cordeau. Et je pense qu'il y a matière a la compréhension et à l'émotion si on a une vue d'ensemble, juste je ne l'ai pas.
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J'accroche pas des masses à Neko-kun Dracula non plus, l'idée de lui faire prendre une apparence d'enfant ok mais les oreilles...pourquoi??
Et enfin, je trouve qu'à force d'être indirect, de faire dire des mensonges aux personnages, de garder des révélations "pour plus tard", ça devient juste confus. Et si c'est confus, ça a un impact sur mon implication émotionnelle (par exemple : je ne comprend pas les dernières pages. Donc je ressens rien à la fin alors qu'il a mis le paquet pour que ça marque).
Bon malgré tout ce que je viens de dire, j'ai envie de faire confiance et de me laisser porter. Le dessin est toujours très unique et maitrisé, et les ambiances sont au cordeau. Et je pense qu'il y a matière a la compréhension et à l'émotion si on a une vue d'ensemble, juste je ne l'ai pas.
edit :
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